Thursday Thoughts ~The Days Seem Long ~The Weeks Go Fast

Every Day is the same, but my routine feels safe.

For that I am Thankful.

Hubby has mastered the art of preparing our Weekend Brunch...

Perfect Over Easy Egg on Toast, Hash Browns, and Bacon.

And it is now Peak Season for many types of Fresh Fruit.

These Cherries are juicy and delicious.

None of us know if our communities

will host a Winter Arts Festival, so

I have been busy taking photos and listing

our creations in my Tins and Treasures Etsy Shop. 

This week we enjoyed one of our Go-To meals...

Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta.

It also involves mushrooms, red pepper, and green onions.

It fast and easy to prepare and so very tasty.

Hubby enjoys spending time in his wood shop after

a day at the office working with Unemployment.

This is just one of his hand turned bottle openers that is available

for purchase. It would be the perfect stocking stuffer

for your favorite bartender.

Remember if you are a local friend, you can contact me

to make arrangements and we can bypass the Shipping Charges on Etsy.

Stay Safe and Well.

Take care,

~Natalie

Santa Claus is Coming to Town ~Countdown to Winterfest ~Two Days #WinterfestAberdeen

It wouldn’t be a Winter Arts Festival without Santa.

We designed a couple of new patterns this year.

Ho..Ho..Ho..

Like the snowmen in the previous post,

Hubby and I collaborated to create this project.

Again, some of the work is done

out in the wood shop,

and some in the sewing studio.

Santa’s tree is created from a cinnamon stick,

adorned with homespun and twine.

All ready for the big weekend.

See you there!

Take care,

~Natalie

Looking for my Blogworthy ~Countdown to Winterfest~Five Days #WinterfestAberdeen

It’s been a while since I have posted an update here.

Whenever that happens, I check my photo albums

to see what has been blogworthy in my life.

I feel like all my posts have been the same lately.

*Winterfest Projects

*Bison Football

*What’s for Dinner

*What Lizzie is doing

You can see I have finished the little Snowmen

and this Rafter of Turkeys.

Hubby used his Wood Turning talents to create pedestals

for my Vintage Wool Bluebirds.

These Snowmen are also created with Vintage Upcycled Fabrics.

We enjoyed a Bison game on Veterans Day weekend.

I tried a new recipe for Chicken Mushroom Pasta.

I added fresh herbs and cream cheese to make it rich and tasty.

Then there’s Lizzie, my helper cat.

She plays hard...

Then, sleeps hard.

Her new favorite place to nap is on the rug by the kitchen sink.

She discovered a heat register there.

Who can blame her?!

I should have more Santas and Snowmen finished

and ready to show you tomorrow.

Local Friends,

We hope to see you this weekend.

Take care,

~Natalie

Things in my House Thursday ~The Little Things that Make Me Smile ~My Santa Collection Soon Ready for Storage

The time has come. 

Time to pack my Santa Collection into a Storage Tub. 

This little guy was the new addition this year. 

He came all the way from our family in Okinawa. 

Since he is so special, 

he may stay out for a couple more weeks.

The Nisse also stays out all year. He was a gift 

from our Norwegian Foreign Exchange Daughter and her family. 

According to Scandinavian folklore, this character 

is responsible for the protection and prosperity of the home and family.

Not that I am superstitious, but I’m not sure 

I want to see what happens if I pack him away!?

The first Nisse watches our front door.

We received this one when Amy & her Hubby 

were stationed in the UK. He guards our kitchen.

Each Santa is unique with its own personality.

This gift is hand painted.

Some people have so much talent.

This Santa memory touches my heart.

I had surgery in November 2005. 

After some minor complications, I returned to the hospital. 

I was there for Thanksgiving and the following 10 days.

To surprise me, Hubby decorated our tree 

with new ornaments and this Santa was at the top.

We purchased this guy for that Christmas

when both our daughters and their husbands 

were coming home for the holiday.

It was something about Santa holding a little girl with a 

teddy bear that I just had to display in our family room.

Many of my Santas are handmade.

This Old World Santa was created year ago, 

with my crafting friend, Tammie.

We have been setting up a booth 

in local Arts & Craft Fairs for over 20 years now.

At first, I saved one of every Santa I made.

But you can imagine with two decades of my 

Santa creations, I just ran out of room here.

This year, this Santa sold out very quickly. 

He is created with Vintage Buttons 

from my Grandmother’s Button Box.

I do know that he has gone to a very good home.

Also new this year....this Santa. He is one of my favorites.

Did you all see this towel set in Target’s Dollar Section?

I purchased three, and sent them to our daughters.

It made me happy to know that since we all spent Christmas apart, 

we were all looking at the same Santa kitchen towel!

It looks like there is another fan of 

Santa in our family.

Take care,

~Natalie

Merry Christmas to our Family and Friends ~Our Celebration ~~A Little Peak at our Christmas Past

We are sending Christmas Wishes from our family to yours.

We hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family.

Here’s a look at how we celebrated here.

There is a box of Hubby’s Toys in our attic.

 I thought it would be fun to create a Centerpiece 

with one of his Vintage Pickups decorated with a wreath 

and a couple of Christmas trees.

Emily knew what I was up to and sent 

the Holiday napkins to complete our appetizer table.

Thanks to my friend and neighbor,

I have these cute little Christmas bowls for my snack mix.

These are the napkins that I purchased in a Boutique,

when visiting our family in Boston.

On the Appetizer Menu,

Mini Bacon Ranch Cheese Balls...

And Raspberry Brie Bites.

These even look like Christmas, Don’t they?!

Grandma’s Table looked beautiful today 

with the centerpiece that she received from family.

And speaking of family,

Here’s a photo from Christmas past.

Our daughters helping Grandpa play Santa 

on Christmas Day was a special tradition.

I hope you all made sweet memories today.

Take care. 

~Natalie 

Winterfest 2018 ~Here’s My Report

Final Winterfest Preparations were 

to create a bag for these Santas. 

Stitched of burlap and filled with pinecones and red berries...

it is a cross-body man bag. It was the necessary finishing touch.

Our vehicles were loaded 

and when hubby came home from work, 

it was snowing heavily. 

A winter weather advisory 

does put folks in the Holiday Spirit, 

and in the mood to shop for Santas and Snowmen.

I think we set up in record time this year...

It took about three hours!

We assemble the display stands first, 

then hubby hangs the lights

while I fill the shelves with our creations.

My Santa Wine Gift Bags compliment 

Hubby’s Wine Bottle Necklaces. 

Pilgrims in the Pumpkin Patch here.

Santa made it downtown with his new man bag!

My Infinity Scarves were displayed 

in Vintage Luggage, 

allowing shoppers to 

search through the fabrics.

Hubby takes charge of technology and the cash drawer...

...as I finish our display.

There are Turkeys and a Dolly in the Pumpkin Patch, too!

  

These are the Santas that are created 

with Vintage Buttons from my Grandma’s Button Tin.

This is the last piece of this Vintage Wool. 

We enjoyed Winterfest Weekend.

Thank you to all who stopped to say Hello!

Take care,

~Natalie